Improvement in car-couplings



.T. J. HOFFMAN & 0.5. POMMER.

CAR-(5'QTHPLJITG.v No.188,Z44. Patented March 13, 1877.

WITNESSES. INVENTORE.

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JOHN J. HOFFMAN AND CHARLES F. POMMER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINQS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 88,244, dated March 13,1877; application filed Y November 4, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN J. HOFFMAN andCHARLES E. POMMER, residents of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a newand useful Oar-Coupling, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, reference being had to the annexed drawing, makingpart of this specification, in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of acar having our invention attached; Fig. 2, a longitudinalverticalsection of the draw-head, show ing the coupling-pin inelevation, and indicating, in dotted lines, the movement of the pin, andparts immediately therewith connected; and Fig. 3, views of the interiorof the draw-head, looking, respectively, at the top and the bottom ofthe chamber therein.

Similar letters refer to similar parts. I

The aim of the present invention is to provide a car-coupling that isself-coupling, and that can be uncoupled without having to pass betweenthe cars.

Referring to the annexed drawing, A represents the draw-head of thecoupling; B, the coupling-pin, and O the coupling-link. The pin, at apoint between its ends, is pivoted in the draw-head, in the upper partof the forward end thereof, as shown at b, Fig. 2. A rod, D D, jointedat d, is, at its outer end, pivoted to the upper end of the pin B, and,at its inner end, is fastened to another rod, E, that extends across theend of the car F,

just above the draw-head, and supported so as to turn in suitablebearings e e. Levers G G, weighted at g g, are fastened, respectively,to the ends of the rod E, and, when left to ban g free, they cause thepin B and rod D D to assume the position shown by the full lines in Fig.2; but when the levers G G are turned up, the pin and rod are in theposition indicated by the dotted lines.

The coupling is effected automatically by the link 0 striking the lowerend of the pin B, throwing it upward into a longitudinal slot,

h, in the roof of the chamber H in the drawhead, and out of the waysufficiently to be passedwhen the pin falls back into the link andagainst a shoulder, a, at the mouth of the draw-head, locking the link.The uncoupling is effected by raising the levers Gr Gr upward, asindicated by the dotted lines, and drawing the pin again into the sloth, which allows the link to be withdrawn. To avoid the liability, inuncoupling, of the link catching on the extreme end of the pin, the roofof the draw-head is depressed at 0. This keeps the link down as the pinis raised, and thus facilitates their disengagement. As soon as thelevers are released the pin drops into its original position,ready forrecoupling when the link again strikes it. The operation of ourinvention is, therefore, partly automatic, and wholly safe, for theuncoupling can be effected from either side of the train, through eitherlever G or G.

We are aware that a coupling-pin has been pivoted in a draw-head, andthat the pin has been operated by a rod leading from above down to thepin. We, therefore, do not claim such features, broadly; but

What we claim is- 1. The herein-described car-coupling, consisting ofthe draw-head A, having a chamber, H, whose roof is slotted at h anddepressed at 0, pin B, link 0, jointed rod D D, rod E, and

weighted levers G G, combined and operating the levers G G, having theweights 9 g, substantially as described.

JOHN JOSEPH HOFFMAN. CHARLES FREDERICK POMMER. Witnesses:

CHAS. D. MOODY, PAUL BAKEWELL.

